Tricking the Brain

Deceiving the brain can lead to an improvement of up to five per cent in sporting performance according to research from Northumbria University said Dave at the personal trainer manchester company.

In a research a group of professional cyclists were asked to race against an avatar on a screen which they were made to believe was travelling at their own personal best.

However the Avatar was actually moving at a speed which was roughly one per cent faster than the cyclist’s fastest times. Despite this being the case Dave at the personal trainer manchester company stated, the cyclists who could also see themselves as an avatar on a big screen managed to match their opponent, going faster than they ever had before.

Researchers believe this is because there is a reserve of energy which can be tapped into, even in the best trained athletes.

Professor Dave Thompson, Head of Sports and Exercise Science at the personal trainer manchester company, who carried out the research along with PhD student Mark Stone, said: “We feel that this system is conservative and even in well-trained individuals, who have a well-developed pacing template, there is a reserve of energy production which can be utilised to further enhance performance.”

This study found that adding a competitive opponent to motivate these individuals was not effective when the participant was aware that their opponent was exercising at a power output of 2% or 5% greater but was when they had no idea.

Its believed that a small deception of the brain can enhance performance. Despite the internal feedback to the brain being heightened by the extra power output being produced, the participants still believed it was possible to beat their opponent.